The fabrication of edge-emitting semiconductor lasers generally requires the separation of a semiconductor wafer into individual chips where, for example, each chip comprises a laser. The separation process may typically be accomplished by sawing, laser cutting or cleaving the wafer. Due to the relatively small size of the chips and the fact that the quality of the chip edge is important for proper laser operation, cleaving has been a preferred process for the production of semiconductor laser chips. The cleaving process generally involves the scribing of marks on a portion of the semiconductor wafer and then applying a force which causes the semiconductor to break along a crystal plane that is aligned with the scribe mark.
There are, however, several problems with the current scribing process. One problem is that the scribing requires relatively high precision tooling which is slow and expensive. Furthermore, the precision of the break is limited by the precision of the scribe mark. Another problem is that the scribing process can create particles, damage, and chipping on the laser chip. Additionally, coatings applied to the wafer or may interfere with the scribing process. What is needed, therefore, is an improved scribing process that avoids these issues.